by S.R., area teen and autism advocate
As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself filled with feelings of gratitude toward the larger autistic community. If I didn’t listen to the voices of my fellow autistic people, I would likely think of autism as something wrong with me, an oddity that made it harder to just be normal. But now I realize that I don’t need to be normal. That my autism is who I am.
This is who I am, and I don’t need to change for anyone.
Autism changes me, and I’d like to think it’s for the better. I have a deeper connection to music and feel emotions very deeply. And even those who experience the opposite of those things are valid and wonderful and loved. This all harkens back to a central message: that of understanding and respect.
I love how the autistic community has been able to band together and advocate for ourselves. We can help each other and other disabled people. We’ll build a better world, one where we are all accepted as who we are. It is my hope that in the future, each person can be freely themselves without adversity, but until that day comes, we have each other.